Beware! Sex toys can make you sick

Sex toys may give you immense pleasure but they have a flipside too, as a research has shown that they have health hazards.

Research by Greenpeace Netherlands has found that 7 out of 8 sex toys contained high levels of chemicals linked to hormone and reproductive disturbances, which means they could stop women having children.

Apparently ‘phthalates’, which are used to soften plastics, accounted for between a quarter and a half of the items, including dildos and vibrators.

The substances do not easily biodegrade and can be dangerous - even in small amounts.

Lab rodents who were exposed to high levels of phthalates reportedly suffered damage to the liver, kidneys, lungs and developing testes.

The research was commissioned after Durex's 2005 Global Sex Survey revealed that 3 million Dutch people admit to owning a sex toy.

"It's incredible that this substance can still be used in toys for adults,” Toxic campaigner Bart van Opzeeland was quoted by The Sun, as saying.

"The last few years we've tested a lot of products but never before did we find such high concentrations," he added.

The Phthalates Information Centre Europe argues: "Plasticised PVC has been used for nearly 50 years without a single known case of it having caused any ill-health and the environmental effects of phthalates are known to be minimal."